I don't know anything about the PA Turnpike, but I still LOL'd. Good job, subby.

CSB time:

There's a bypass highway running around Lubbock, simply called "the Loop" by residents. It's constantly under construction. My late grandfather's route from home to farm and back usually didn't go through the construction, but occasionally he'd be stuck in traffic.

One day a relative commented to him, "I heard on the radio that the sun will go out in five billion years." Grandfather considered that for a few seconds and then drawled, "I guess they'll have to finish working on the Loop in the dark."

As a current resident of PA, i have always maintained that the state tree should be changed to the orange construction barrel. There is a 7 mile stretch of 202 between Exton and King of Prussia that has been under construction for 5 years now. 5 farking years for 7 lousy miles of highway! The asphalt they put down first has already worn down to the original concrete roadway in most places, so when they finally finish all the other work, they're going to have to repave the wole damn thing. I'm sure that will take another 5 farking years.

Dick Gozinya:As a current resident of PA, i have always maintained that the state tree should be changed to the orange construction barrel. There is a 7 mile stretch of 202 between Exton and King of Prussia that has been under construction for 5 years now. 5 farking years for 7 lousy miles of highway! The asphalt they put down first has already worn down to the original concrete roadway in most places, so when they finally finish all the other work, they're going to have to repave the wole damn thing. I'm sure that will take another 5 farking years.

there are so many roads all over PA that suffer from this same problem. 81 by Scranton has had the same lane closed since the first time I traveled it about 4 years ago, 222 had the worst possible traffic by Lancaster because of random closed lanes that showed no progress in construction for over a year. 80 by Tannersville is a joke. There is no shortage of cones apparently.

The construction zone foreplay: 4 miles of signs warning me about how the the world is about to end (One lane, no shoulder, uneven pavement, workers present, proceed with extreme caution, etc).

The construction zone: some orange barrels on the shoulder, a mower or front end loader pulledaway off the road.

The bonus: A dickhole state trooper hiding behind said piece of equipment with a radar gun.The other bonus: If the "Active Work Zone" light is lit, no workers are there. If it is turned off, there will be workers all over the place. The sign is always wrong.

Everyone with PA plates seems pretty much immune to the signs and screams through there at 75+ mph because they know PennDOT is full of shiat. I much prefer Michigan's method. Work zones tend to remain 70 mph unless they've had to close down/narrow lanes. However if workers are present you need to slow down to at least 55 (they post signs) and there is often a State Trooper sitting there in the median to remind you "No, we're not joking about worker safety, slow your ass down". The Trooper doesn't hide though, he sits there with his lights on and if you're dumb enough to trip his radar gun, it's your funeral. I don't mind slowing down for Michigan construction since they only drop the speed limit where they need to. If you obeyed all the PennDOT signs, it would triple your travel time to cross PA.

In related to the above, since I used to have to drive across PA with some regularity (or at least to the Breezewood split) and I have a lot of anger to work out:

WTF is it with PA making the trucks switch lanes every five miles? The post "Trucks Left Lane Only" signs and right about the time all the semis gets over and the fast moving cars settle into the right lane, the "Trucks Right Lane Only" signs appear. So I'm stuck there dodging trucks who are desperately switching lanes to avoid a ticket.

The worst was about three years I crossed into PA at about midnight. Hit a work zone with its "Active Work Zone" light on, so I dropped it down to 45 mph for 5 miles like the signs say. Not a single soul or lane closed in that stretch, just some stuff on the shoulder. Meanwhile the locals are screaming past me or tailgating me. Fifteen minutes after that one ends, I hit another one. Same thing. I hit the third one and this one doesn't have its active light on. All the locals are still blasting along so I figure "fark it, it is almost 1 am, no one is out here working anyways" and I leave the cruise on 75 mph. I come around a corner in the mountains and find two workers no more than two feet off my passenger side who are doing something on the shoulder. Luckily the left lane was empty so I and the car behind me were able to swerve over.

/it's like PA posts signs to boost the profit of the sign company, not help worker safety

Dick Gozinya:As a current resident of PA, i have always maintained that the state tree should be changed to the orange construction barrel. There is a 7 mile stretch of 202 between Exton and King of Prussia that has been under construction for 5 years now. 5 farking years for 7 lousy miles of highway! The asphalt they put down first has already worn down to the original concrete roadway in most places, so when they finally finish all the other work, they're going to have to repave the wole damn thing. I'm sure that will take another 5 farking years.

Portions of rt 22 between at least Greensburg and Pittsburgh took well over the 5-7 year mark. It's a much better drive now but damn.

thecpt:ha-ha-guy: Everyone with PA plates seems pretty much immune to the signs and screams through there at 75+ mph because they know PennDOT is full of shiat.

state law is to have your headlights on in all work zones. I habitually turn on my headlights when I start my car, even now when I live in a different state.

/you are spot on though

I had an argument with a PA cop over whether my DLRs counted as "lights on" and then he gave me a ticket for my vehicle not meeting some state inspection code since I was driving a manufacturer prototype with a couple things missing. The judge tossed both tickets luckily. I found out my company actually has a standing business relationship with a PA Law firm since the PA cops apparently love to write up out of state vehicles for everything they can imagine to meet quota or however it works.

ha-ha-guy:The judge tossed both tickets luckily. I found out my company actually has a standing business relationship with a PA Law firm since the PA cops apparently love to write up out of state vehicles for everything they can imagine to meet quota or however it works.

My dad's a state trooper there and I've asked him if they actually have a quota. He actually said if it does exist, then you'd have to miss the entire month to not meet it. Chances are the guy was just being a dick to you. That's usually the city or township police and not state troopers though.

thecpt:My dad's a state trooper there and I've asked him if they actually have a quota. He actually said if it does exist, then you'd have to miss the entire month to not meet it. Chances are the guy was just being a dick to you. That's usually the city or township police and not state troopers though.

The officer in question was from Elizabethtown, not a state trooper. They were working the highway and got me at 58 in a 55 near Hershey, PA. Hassled me over the manufacturer plates, wanted to the search the car (I told him to pound sand) and so he decided to see what obscure sections of the motor vehicle code he could apply. Didn't bother me much since I was getting paid about forty dollars an hour to watch him be a dick.

The State Troopers are pretty easy to avoid since they tend to have predictable hiding spots and operate solo. I just make sure I never get beyond second fastest car on the road and I'm fine. There is one spot on Western PA, I forget the mile marker now, where when you're west bound you go down a massive hill and they have two spots carved out at the bottom, that's the only place I've ever seen more than one state trooper camped out.

/I remember you go under an overpass at the top of the hill, then as you go down the hill there is a pillar on the left side of the turnpike with some cameras on it, then are two spots carved out near the bottom//a lot of people pick their speed back up after the first spot only to have a Trooper pop out at second one//I think there is an exit for Wheeling at the bottom of the hill/I drove through PA way too many times if I can recite all that from memory

Dick Gozinya:There is a 7 mile stretch of 202 between Exton and King of Prussia that has been under construction for 5 years now. 5 farking years for 7 lousy miles of highway!

PennDOT has been working on the George Wade Bridge on 81 outside of Harrisburg for three and a half years now. For three and a half years nothing but concrete cattle chutes, lane restrictions and white-knuckle merge areas.

This is what happens when you live in a state that ignores rehab and maintenance projects on things until the infrastructure is literally on the verge of falling to pieces. They wind up doing fifty years worth of work in one giant stretch instead of a few brief stints every couple of years.

Rt 30 Bridge over the Susquehanna River, which is one of only 4 bridges that cross the river between York and Lancaster counties:

The bridge is only 1 mile long, but took two years to do repair work to it. 2 years of cattle-chutes so thin that semis had no more than 6 inches clearance on either side of the trailer. The best part was the fact that the Columbia interchange, with exit and on-ramps only 50 feet long, is positioned directly over where the river bridge begins. The traffic snarls at that bottleneck were a nightmare during the bridge repair, often resulting in a traffic standstill, not counting accidents which would close down access to the bridge for an entire day.

thecpt:Dick Gozinya: As a current resident of PA, i have always maintained that the state tree should be changed to the orange construction barrel. There is a 7 mile stretch of 202 between Exton and King of Prussia that has been under construction for 5 years now. 5 farking years for 7 lousy miles of highway! The asphalt they put down first has already worn down to the original concrete roadway in most places, so when they finally finish all the other work, they're going to have to repave the wole damn thing. I'm sure that will take another 5 farking years.

there are so many roads all over PA that suffer from this same problem. 81 by Scranton has had the same lane closed since the first time I traveled it about 4 years ago, 222 had the worst possible traffic by Lancaster because of random closed lanes that showed no progress in construction for over a year. 80 by Tannersville is a joke. There is no shortage of cones apparently.

Glad to see somebody repping the dump that is the poconos. Beautiful area if you don't mind teaffic or tourists

Dick Gozinya:As a current resident of PA, i have always maintained that the state tree should be changed to the orange construction barrel. There is a 7 mile stretch of 202 between Exton and King of Prussia that has been under construction for 5 years now. 5 farking years for 7 lousy miles of highway! The asphalt they put down first has already worn down to the original concrete roadway in most places, so when they finally finish all the other work, they're going to have to repave the wole damn thing. I'm sure that will take another 5 farking years.

I was very surprised when after 5 years they actually made some actual progress between the 252 and 29 exits.

There's also a section of NE Extension between the Mid-County tolls and Quakertown that has been under construction for what seems like years.

Dick Gozinya:As a current resident of PA, i have always maintained that the state tree should be changed to the orange construction barrel. There is a 7 mile stretch of 202 between Exton and King of Prussia that has been under construction for 5 years now. 5 farking years for 7 lousy miles of highway! The asphalt they put down first has already worn down to the original concrete roadway in most places, so when they finally finish all the other work, they're going to have to repave the wole damn thing. I'm sure that will take another 5 farking years.

But then the two new Wegmans will have attracted enough traffic they'll have to expand again

milowitz:Dick Gozinya: As a current resident of PA, i have always maintained that the state tree should be changed to the orange construction barrel. There is a 7 mile stretch of 202 between Exton and King of Prussia that has been under construction for 5 years now. 5 farking years for 7 lousy miles of highway! The asphalt they put down first has already worn down to the original concrete roadway in most places, so when they finally finish all the other work, they're going to have to repave the wole damn thing. I'm sure that will take another 5 farking years.

Portions of rt 22 between at least Greensburg and Pittsburgh took well over the 5-7 year mark. It's a much better drive now but damn.

PA 28 before Millvale.

When I first moved to PGH someone commented to me that 28 has never NOT been under construction. I thought they were joking until I looked it up.

They first started work in 1927 and as soon as they finish, they start a widening or a rerouting.

ha-ha-guy:thecpt: My dad's a state trooper there and I've asked him if they actually have a quota. He actually said if it does exist, then you'd have to miss the entire month to not meet it. Chances are the guy was just being a dick to you. That's usually the city or township police and not state troopers though.

The officer in question was from Elizabethtown, not a state trooper. They were working the highway and got me at 58 in a 55 near Hershey, PA. Hassled me over the manufacturer plates, wanted to the search the car (I told him to pound sand) and so he decided to see what obscure sections of the motor vehicle code he could apply. Didn't bother me much since I was getting paid about forty dollars an hour to watch him be a dick.

The State Troopers are pretty easy to avoid since they tend to have predictable hiding spots and operate solo. I just make sure I never get beyond second fastest car on the road and I'm fine. There is one spot on Western PA, I forget the mile marker now, where when you're west bound you go down a massive hill and they have two spots carved out at the bottom, that's the only place I've ever seen more than one state trooper camped out.

/I remember you go under an overpass at the top of the hill, then as you go down the hill there is a pillar on the left side of the turnpike with some cameras on it, then are two spots carved out near the bottom//a lot of people pick their speed back up after the first spot only to have a Trooper pop out at second one//I think there is an exit for Wheeling at the bottom of the hill/I drove through PA way too many times if I can recite all that from memory

That is westbound just East of Breezewood. After they get you on radar and come after you, there's a lane and a half width covered in white diagonal stripes to the right of the right lane so they can pull you over in safety.

Thingster:milowitz: Dick Gozinya: As a current resident of PA, i have always maintained that the state tree should be changed to the orange construction barrel. There is a 7 mile stretch of 202 between Exton and King of Prussia that has been under construction for 5 years now. 5 farking years for 7 lousy miles of highway! The asphalt they put down first has already worn down to the original concrete roadway in most places, so when they finally finish all the other work, they're going to have to repave the wole damn thing. I'm sure that will take another 5 farking years.

Portions of rt 22 between at least Greensburg and Pittsburgh took well over the 5-7 year mark. It's a much better drive now but damn.

PA 28 before Millvale.

When I first moved to PGH someone commented to me that 28 has never NOT been under construction. I thought they were joking until I looked it up.

They first started work in 1927 and as soon as they finish, they start a widening or a rerouting.

MarkEC:ha-ha-guy: thecpt: My dad's a state trooper there and I've asked him if they actually have a quota. He actually said if it does exist, then you'd have to miss the entire month to not meet it. Chances are the guy was just being a dick to you. That's usually the city or township police and not state troopers though.

The officer in question was from Elizabethtown, not a state trooper. They were working the highway and got me at 58 in a 55 near Hershey, PA. Hassled me over the manufacturer plates, wanted to the search the car (I told him to pound sand) and so he decided to see what obscure sections of the motor vehicle code he could apply. Didn't bother me much since I was getting paid about forty dollars an hour to watch him be a dick.

The State Troopers are pretty easy to avoid since they tend to have predictable hiding spots and operate solo. I just make sure I never get beyond second fastest car on the road and I'm fine. There is one spot on Western PA, I forget the mile marker now, where when you're west bound you go down a massive hill and they have two spots carved out at the bottom, that's the only place I've ever seen more than one state trooper camped out.

/I remember you go under an overpass at the top of the hill, then as you go down the hill there is a pillar on the left side of the turnpike with some cameras on it, then are two spots carved out near the bottom//a lot of people pick their speed back up after the first spot only to have a Trooper pop out at second one//I think there is an exit for Wheeling at the bottom of the hill/I drove through PA way too many times if I can recite all that from memory

That is westbound just East of Breezewood. After they get you on radar and come after you, there's a lane and a half width covered in white diagonal stripes to the right of the right lane so they can pull you over in safety.

Yep. Grew up in Breezewood. Dealt with this ebery trip home while attending Shippensburg U.

wildsnowllama:MarkEC: ha-ha-guy: thecpt: My dad's a state trooper there and I've asked him if they actually have a quota. He actually said if it does exist, then you'd have to miss the entire month to not meet it. Chances are the guy was just being a dick to you. That's usually the city or township police and not state troopers though.

The officer in question was from Elizabethtown, not a state trooper. They were working the highway and got me at 58 in a 55 near Hershey, PA. Hassled me over the manufacturer plates, wanted to the search the car (I told him to pound sand) and so he decided to see what obscure sections of the motor vehicle code he could apply. Didn't bother me much since I was getting paid about forty dollars an hour to watch him be a dick.

The State Troopers are pretty easy to avoid since they tend to have predictable hiding spots and operate solo. I just make sure I never get beyond second fastest car on the road and I'm fine. There is one spot on Western PA, I forget the mile marker now, where when you're west bound you go down a massive hill and they have two spots carved out at the bottom, that's the only place I've ever seen more than one state trooper camped out.

/I remember you go under an overpass at the top of the hill, then as you go down the hill there is a pillar on the left side of the turnpike with some cameras on it, then are two spots carved out near the bottom//a lot of people pick their speed back up after the first spot only to have a Trooper pop out at second one//I think there is an exit for Wheeling at the bottom of the hill/I drove through PA way too many times if I can recite all that from memory

That is westbound just East of Breezewood. After they get you on radar and come after you, there's a lane and a half width covered in white diagonal stripes to the right of the right lane so they can pull you over in safety.

Yep. Grew up in Breezewood. Dealt with this ebery trip home while attending Shippensburg U.

I-81 between Scranton and I-80 has been under construction for longer than I can remember, which goes back to 1980. My family had been going from New York to Ohio for thirty years, and that same damn stretch of highway has been completely dug up the entire time.

Entering PA on I-70 there is a speed limit sign that has an orange diamond on it, indicating some kind of construction zone. That orange diamond has been there since I started traveling to the state via that route sometime in 1997. The last time I went through in 2012, it was still there.

I moved out of PA in 97 and the turnpike was under construction the whole way out. I drove back 10 years later and it was still under construction. Ohio turnpike was even worse... One lane closed the entire way through the state. Whoever leases out those orange barrels has good friends in high places.

belhade:I-81 between Scranton and I-80 has been under construction for longer than I can remember, which goes back to 1980. My family had been going from New York to Ohio for thirty years, and that same damn stretch of highway has been completely dug up the entire time.

I've driven that section twice in my life, heading from Boston. That's twice more than I ever want to do.